The High Commission of India in London, in association with the London School of Trends and Inter National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD), marked India Day at London Fashion Week September 2023 with a spotlight on Mission LiFE.
Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), introduced as an India-led mission to the world by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland two years ago, focusses on embracing sustainability and making climate friendly choices in every aspect of our lives.
Within a remit of “Sustainable Modernity”, students of INIFD in partnership with the London School of Trends presented their eco-friendly designs at a colourful catwalk in London over the weekend.
Their creations were made using plant-based fabrics produced in India such as lotus stems, banana leaf, rose petals, cotton, bamboo and other natural fibres.
The London School of Trends noted: “The designers were instructed to employ sustainable materials and zero-waste practices to create a collection that was both cutting edge and wearable.
“They were tasked to show how the artisans and their surroundings are linked and depend on each other. A profound connection to the Earth has played a significant role in the cultural practices of India, which have a long history of being influenced by the natural environment.”
The young designers – Rajvi and Yatri Patel, Preksha Jain, Somya Goyal, Vidhita Raut, Sidhi Penkar and Roma Agarwal – showcased their creations following an earlier interaction at the Indian High Commission in London with High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Deputy High Commissioner Sujit Ghosh.
The concept was to highlight how upcycling, material optimisation, and waste reduction have been at the forefront of India's artisan practices for decades. And, how under Prime Minister Modi’s Mission LiFE movement, such practices are being revived and nurtured with an innovative approach by young designers in the country.
“Mission LiFE can become a mass movement of Environmental Conscious Lifestyle. What is needed today is Mindful and Deliberate Utilisation, instead of Mindless and Destructive Consumption," said PM Modi said at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021.
LiFE is an India-led global mass movement to nudge individual and community action to protect and preserve the environment. It recognises that Indian culture and living traditions are inherently sustainable. The importance of conserving our precious natural resources and living in harmony with nature are emphasised in our ancient scriptures. The need of the hour is to tap into that ancient wisdom and spread the message to as many people as possible. Mission LiFE seeks to channel the efforts of individuals and communities into a global mass movement of positive behavioural change.
*Info: Mission LiFE
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